Vitiligo

Vitiligo presents with areas devoid of pigment on the skin. The patches are white. With this condition, pigment-forming cells (known as melanocytes) are destroyed by the immune system causing the loss of pigmentation in the skin. Vitiligo usually develops between the ages of 10 and 40. It affects both men and women and appears to be hereditary. It is more conspicuous in darker skinned individuals.

Vitiligo usually affects areas of skin that have been exposed to sun. It also appears in body folds, near moles or at the site of previous skin injury. The condition may be permanent and there is no known cure, only attempts to re-pigment the skin. Possible treatments include topical anti-inflammatory agents and ultraviolet light therapy. In dramatic cases, the skin can be "bleached" to produce a uniform light color to the entire skin surface.